Lu offers some advice to new Cabinet team

By Chiu Yu-Tzu / STAFF REPORTER

Mon, Jan 23, 2006 - Page 3

The new Cabinet led by premier-designate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) should set up a special taskforce to work on linking Taiwan to the world to prevent Taiwan from being marginalized in the era of globalization, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday.

"Taiwan should not position itself as part of China. It's part of the world. So I hope to see Su's team concentrate its efforts on securing Taiwan's survival in the era of globalization," Lu told reporters outside CTiTV's studio.

Lu spoke to reporters after being interviewed by talk-show host Sisy Chen (陳文茜).

During the interview Chen questioned the lack of international experience in Su's team and Lu said the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) long-term promotion of Taiwanese consciousness had led to a lack of effective strategies to deal with the global China fever.

Lu said Taiwan has to keep its own identity and not deliberately fight China at a time when the Chinese market is attracting more countries.

However, Taiwan has reached a critical point where it has to find a way out wisely and the new Cabinet has no time to waste, Lu said.

"However, I'm not sure if any of the new Cabinet members have ever thought about where to position Taiwan on the globalization spectrum."

Chen insisted that most of Su's appointees lack international experience, except National Science Council chief Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), who is a health expert and a fellow of the Academia Sinica, and Vice premier-designate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), a former chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council.

She said that Taiwan's slow growth worried many local and foreign investors, who have wondered why countries such as Singapore and South Korea have performed better.

Lu said that economic concerns of foreign investors in Taiwan and Taiwanese businesspeople have ignored China's persistent animosity toward Taiwan.

Lu said new Cabinet might not end policies that welcome Chinese tourists or that allow certain kinds of non-sensitive cross-strait exchange activities. She said the government would have no choice but to strictly implement policies on intelligence-gathering, smuggling and prostitution involving Chinese.

"Don't forget -- Taiwan is the only country facing China's military threats," Lu said.

When asked about former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung's (林義雄) criticism of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) involvement in Cabinet appointments, Lu said that Lin was just defending the constitutional system.